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Salvador Dali is one of the most recognizable artists in the world and his painting The Persistence of Memory showing melting clocks is his showpiece. The Spanish painter is known for the surprising compositions blurring the line between the real world and the dream world: a human figure with drawers sticking out of their body, elephants walking on incredibly long and thin legs, or a melting self-portrait held together by numerous supports are just some of the examples.

There is really no point in searching for meaning or logic in Dali paintings, as they are firmly rooted in surrealism and therefore are supposed to go against anything conventional, rational and empirical. This trend in art gave spotlight to unrestrained fantasies and dreams through which feelings and fears deeply hidden in the subconscious were brought to life.

However, not everyone knows that painting is only one of the disciplines that Dali, artist so multi-faceted and ahead of his time, excelled at. In fact, chances are you may have come across one of his designs as a child without even knowing! And that’s because, in 1969, Salvador Dali designed the logo of the famous sweets brand Chupa Chups known for their lollipops. The yellow and orange logo turned out to be so futureproof that it is used to this day in a slightly changed form. Who knew art could be so sweet!

Salvador Dali also made furniture designs, with one of the most iconic being the mouth-shaped sofa inspired by the mouth of Mae West, the actress Dali was fascinated with. The project came true thanks to Edward James, a collector, poet and friend of Dali, who came up with the idea to design a sofa inspired by Dali’s surrealist painting “Face of Mae West Which May be Used as an Apartment”.

This furniture was made in several versions. One of them soon became part of a larger art installation that can be seen today at the Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres. It is a room composed in such a way that, when looking inside from a specific angle, the perspective makes the elements of equipment, including the famous sofa, fold over the face of none other than the actress Mae West. Another example of the Dali-James duo’s furniture designs include lamps whose stems resemble golden champagne glasses stacked on top of each other and a chair that has two arms spread out instead of a backrest.

Salvador Dali is also the designer behind a truly impressive glass perfume bottle inspired by his portrait of Aphrodite. The bottle has the shape of sensual, prominent lips, while the lid has the form of a slender nose. The limited edition, issued in 1983, went public a few years later, enchanting the public with the sculptural form which in itself is a miniature work of art.

With so many projects spanning different arts, Salvador Dali was also an author. During his lifetime he wrote several books, including Diary of a Genius, The Secret Life of Salvador Dali and The Passions According to Dali. Each of these lectures, which we highly recommend, is an excellent way to get a sneak peek into the life of this eccentric artist who lived his life like a theatrical performance.

transl. Jakub Majchrzak